It's Not All Lullabies In Birdland

Next week it's Valentine's Day, the day the birds get married according to my mother. It's a serious business and not as lovey-dovey as we like to think.

I photographed this pair of blackbirds fighting on the bank of the lake not far from the weepy old willow this morning. The light was poor and it was through a gate so the quality is poor. They were going at it hammer and tongs for a while. Thankfully they both flew off uninjured afterwards. Fights like this can end in death. The birds fight for territory, a nesting site and food supply. These could be first winter males, which share the colouring of females. Fights between females are less frequent but when they occur they're more violent.

The Birdland in my title and the song Lullaby of Birdland refers to a New York jazz club named after saxophonist Charlie 'Bird' Parker.